


Across

by Wetcakes



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Swolo, Christmas Fluff, College Reylo, Domestic Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Neighbors, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, childhood crush, home for the holidays, reylo au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wetcakes/pseuds/Wetcakes
Summary: The year is 2008 and the Solos; Rey’s neighbours from across the street; have their son, Ben home for the holidays.Domestic fluff in which Rey’s childhood crush is back in full force.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Reylo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of a car backing up, pulled Rey out of her concentration. She was doodling in her sketchbook at her desk in her bedroom. She got up to part the curtains on her windows to see her neighbours’ car pull into their driveway.

The Solos lived right across from Rey’s parents house. Of which she was home for the holidays. And it looked like the Solo’s son was back from College too.

Rey hadn’t seen Ben Solo for a couple of years. Before the two of them packed up their lives to head off to colleges across the State. She watched as the driver’s door of the car opened and Mr Solo got out. Looking as dashing as ever with his white hair. The other side opened and a shiny boot stepped out, followed by a thick, strong leg and a very very wide body.

Rey gulped. Was that really … Ben? The last she had seen him. He had been around 17 and gangly as ever. Giving off the sense that he had grown very fast in a short period of time and did not know what to do with his limbs.

He must be 21 now as Rey remembered him being a year or so older than she was. But the Ben Solo who was tugging a suitcase out of the backseat of the family car across the street from her was not the same boy she remembered.

Oh no. This was a man. A fine ass tall drink of water. He seemed even taller if possible than when she last shyly waved him goodbye. But instead of awkward lanky limbs, he looked to have really filled out his frame. Even through the thick sweater that he had on, Rey could tell that he had bulked up with strong muscles defining his chest and shoulders. Even his long legs which he had been so cautious about people teasing him for, looked to be so defined with muscle, that his jeans were straining at the seams as he lifted several more boxes and bags out of the car.

Rey gulped. It was the middle of winter break, but she suddenly felt very hot under her collar.

“Rey did you unpack those new shoes from - ” Rey’s mum came barging into her childhood room with a pile of laundry in her arms.

“Mum, you can’t just burst into my room like that anymore” Rey drawled.

“Why not, this is still my house. What are you looking at? Is it starting to snow yet? We’ve got to get your father to find the shovel for the driveway … Oh”

Her mum; Trudy, had dropped the laundry pile on Rey’s bed and come to stand next to her looking out of the window.

“The Solo kid is back!”

“Um yeah, I heard them pulling in, I wasn’t spying or anything!” Rey said quickly.

“Huh?” Trudy wasn’t paying attention as she swung the window open, waving vigourously. “Hi Han!! See that your son’s back for Christmas?”

“Mum, what are you doing?” Rey hissed.

Mr Solo looked up and saw Rey trying to cover behind her mother who was almost halfway out of the open window.

“Hi Niimas! Happy Holidays indeed huh? Yup, Benny Boy is back for break. Glad to have him around the house again!”

Ben looked up curiously.

“So is Rey!” Trudy shouted back.

Rey gave a nervous wave as Ben caught her eye and flashed a wide grin towards her.

Rey blushed. She hoped that they couldn’t see the red rising up her cheeks from this distance.

“Mooomm…” Rey grumbled, embarrassed.

“Why don’t you, Leia and Ben join us for dinner?” Rey’s mum continued.

“Thanks for the offer. That’s very kind, but I think Ben has some stuff to unpack…”

“That can wait dad,” said Ben, still grinning ear to ear.

“Excellent! See you three around 7?” Trudy waved at the Solo boys once more before turning to her daughter.

Rey quickly shut the window and her curtains.

“Oh my, the cold air really stung you bad huh? Come and grab some hot cocoa,” Trudy said as she looked at Rey’s red nose and cheeks.

“Um yeah, the cold. Very chilly, yeah.”

As her mum left, Rey looked at herself in the mirror. Darn it. Did she have to be wearing her old Indiana Jones t shirt when Ben Solo looking like that had seen her after all this time? Her hair was even absentmindedly scrunched up in three messy buns.

Oh shit. She thought. The Solos. They were coming to dinner. She hadn’t packed anything as near as nice as she should have. Her suitcase was just full of comfy tees and pyjamas. Rey sprang open her closet. She bit her lip as all she saw were her high school clothes from her ‘mean girl’ phase. No literally, everyone at her high school went through the same phase; heavily infienced by the most popular movie at that time; of only wearing graphic tees with too small pleated skirts.

Fuck. What was she supposed to do? She looked at the coffee stain on her chest. “Sorry Mr Jones, looks like 16 year old Rey’s clothes better fit me,’ she sighed, banging her forehead against the closet door.

* * *

A few hours, and many small fights later. Rey had helped her mother with the cooking and setting up the dinner table.

“Mum, it’s alright, I don’t think the Solos are gonna care if all the bread rolls aren’t perfectly even!”

“But I care!” Trudy said as she continued to re-roll out the balls of dough for the bread. “Go and tell your father to tidy up the living room! His gadgets are all over the couch and coffee table!”

“You mean the parts to the BB radio? I thought you asked him to fix it…

“Okay, okay! I’m going upstairs. My work here is done right?” pleaded Rey.

“Yeah, go freshen up, I’ll sort things here.”

Trudy was best left to her devices in the kitchen, Rey had not forgotten.

Climbing the stairs, Rey called out to her father. “Daaad, mum says to tidy up the living room before the Solos get here.”

She poked her head into her parents room, which looked exactly the same as it always has been. Rey’s father Bill was going through some old photo albums.

“Oh, okay I will. Why aren’t you two dressed yet? Isn’t it almost 7?”

“Yeah, but you know how mum is in the kitchen. Acting like someone held a gun to her head to throw a dinner party that she came up with.”

Bill laughed, as Rey bent to look at the album. “What’ve you got there?”

“Oh, it’s our family photo album. I was looking for some old Christmas photos. When I came across these. Look - isn’t that the Solo kid?”

Rey smiled. There he sure was. The picture showed a black haired boy with a beanie pulled almost over his eyes, standing in thick snow on the front lawn while an ecstatic 7 year old Rey ran towards him with a snowball clutched in her fist.

“You two better get down here and help! I forgot about the salad!” Rey’s mum’s voice echoed up the stairs.

“Oh well, that’s my cue.” Bill said, grunting as he stood up from the bed.

As Rey showered and begrudgingly pulled on a T shirt that said ‘Bling Thing’ and a tiny pink skirt. She wondered how Ben would remember her. That 7 year old kid who would prank him every day of the summer holidays. Or would he remember the 14 year old Rey who had left him a Valentine’s Day card to only furiously deny it was sent by her when she had watched him read it while his ears turned red?

He had had a girlfriend the year he had left for college. Surely he couldn’t remember the sad look in her eyes as she said goodbye?

That was some time ago. Having been at College for three years, and Ben for four, she was sure that he would have forgotten all about her. She had definitely thought that all her feelings for him were long gone, that was until she saw him today.


	2. Chapter 2

As the doorbell rang at 7.00 PM, Bill Niima opened his front door to the three smiling faces of his neighbours; the Solos. Han, Leia and their now grown up son Ben.

“Bill, old pal. Nice of you and Trudy to have us over,” Han shook his hand heartily as he stepped into the house.

“No problem at all. Hi Leia, how are you doing? Oh what’s this?”

“Just a bottle of wine for the table, Bill.” Leia said as she returned Bill’s hug and handed over the bottle.

“Where’s Trudy?” Leia asked.

“Oh, she’ll be in the kitchen.”

“I’ll help!” Leia said, hurrying past the two men.

“Hi Rey!” Leia hugged Rey who had just come down the stairs.

Rey smiled and looked towards the doorway.

“Ah, Benjamin, how you’ve grown! You must have shot up 5 inches since I last saw you! How tall are you now? 6’2?” Bill asked.

“Just Ben, Mr Niima,” said Ben with a shy smile. “And I guess I was 6’4 the last time I checked.”

Han chuckled. “I told him that I’m gonna have to carve out a foot higher in all our doors in the house, if he doesn’t stop growing!”

Ben just grinned as Bill ushered them into the house and closed the door behind them.

“Han, I have to show you this BB radio I’m putting together.” said Bill leading him into the living area.

Rey and Ben found themselves face to face in the narrow entrance hallway. He was wearing a soft cream sweater and his hair looked deliciously soft as if he had just towel dried it.

“Hi there!”

He smiled wider.

Rey could not stop the blush from rising in her cheeks. She never could whenever he was around. “Hi Ben! Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too.” 

Rey did not know whether to just stand there, shake his hand, kiss his cheek or - 

“Happy holidays!” he said as he bent down to wrap her in a big hug.

She breathed him in deeply. He smelt of shampoo, the cold winter air outside and a hint of cologne. A spicy scent with notes of leather and amber, which had her feeling weak in the knees.

As they broke apart, she reluctantly let go of his warm sweater through which she could feel his very hard, defined body. 

“To you as well! I just got back from College this week” Rey replied.

Ben was eyeing her up and down, eyebrows raised with a quizzical expression on his face.

“Nice outfit Rey, is this your Sorority uniform?”

“Shut up!” she playfully smacked his arm, noting the rock solid bicep. “This was all I could find in my old closet! Most of my stuff is back at College. I guess I didn’t pack enough fancy clothes for Benjamin Solo!”

“Nah, you look great,” he grinned, as Rey tried to pull down the too short pink skirt that barely covered her goosepimply legs. 

**********

A few moments, and a lot of fussing from Trudy and Leia, later; the table was groaning under the weight of all the food as the 6 of them sat down for dinner.

“The house looks lovely Trudy dear! So festive.” Leia said as she served some baked potato passing the plate around.

“Thanks Leia, we still need to get the tree though.”

“We do too! Ben, you said that one of your friends has that Christmas tree farm?” Han asked. 

Ben was seated next to Rey, reaching across the table for some dinner rolls. 

“Yeah, the Dameron’s would have set up their trees for sale by now. I can give Poe a call.”

“Rey, maybe you can go with Ben. Pick out our tree too!” Trudy said nodding suggestively. 

Rey resisted the urge to stomp on her mum’s foot under the table. Instead her leg twitched. So much so that her knee grazed Ben’s thigh. 

Rey looked down at her lap. Her skirt was riding dangerously high. Ben was staring at her exposed leg which was touching his. 

She gulped. “Yeah okay mum.”

Rey snapped her knees together. 

The older adults at the table got lost in chatter. Rey tried to focus on picking up peas with her fork. But saw through the corner of her eye, Ben’s left hand settling on his thick thigh. Exactly where Rey’s leg had been a moment ago. 

Ben was busy piercing some vegetables with his fork. Rey felt the urge to reach out and just grab his hand in hers. His meaty hand which was clutching his meaty thigh. 

“So Ben, how are you fairing at College?”

He swallowed a mouthful of food. “Going well I think Mrs Niima! Yeah my engineering courses have been tough but really interesting work.”

“How about you Rey?” He turned towards her. “Have you been enjoying your classes?” 

“Yeah, most of my classmates in English Lit are pompous assholes but I like the subject matter.”

“You were always good at that stuff.”

Rey raised an eyebrow. 

“Y’know, the expressive, emotional, poetic stuff.”

“Yeah I guess, what exactly do you do in your engineering classes?”

“Oh well this semester we’re experimenting with 3D model rendering.”

“Sounds fancy, but is that just using a 3D printer?”

Ben laughed deep in his chest and Rey felt her heart swell. 

“It’s a lot more complicated than that. One of my classmates has a lab in town. I’m planning to get some work done when I’m free. Not everyday, just when I can.”

“Wow, you seem committed, not how I remembered you being in High School Benjamin.”

He smiled. “Well I guess we both grew up.”

****

After dinner, the bottle of wine was popped open and the Niima’s and their guests were sipping from their wine glasses and chatting merrily in the living room. 

“Rey, I’m sure the Solo’s would find some of our picture album interesting.” Bill said. 

“Why don’t you be a dear, and bring it down for us.”

Rey nodded and headed towards the staircase. 

“Want me to come with?” Ben stood up. 

“Um, that’s okay. I think I can find the way myself.” She teased. 

“Fine.” The corner of Ben’s lip twitched. 

Rey made her way upstairs. Careful to hold down her skirt, cautious that from where Ben sat on the sofa, he could easily see up her skirt as she climbed the stairs. 

This outfit was not the best of ideas. She really needed to get some decent clothes together. Maybe she could ask her pal Rose to go out shopping. 

Back downstairs. Bill Niima was flipping through the photo album. Pausing to animatedly reveal fun stories and tidbits about certain photos. 

Rey smiled. She could see how proud her dad was to have owned a camera and clicked away to now have some precious memories with them forever. 

“Oh look at the two of them!” Leia exclaimed. 

The picture being passed around showed a little Ben and a little Rey in pigtails sat in an inflatable pool in the garden. 

“Oh god, what an embarrassing dinner right?” Rey blushed at Ben. 

“Nah, I think you look adorable.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter [@driverssaber](https://twitter.com/driverssaber)  
> If you enjoyed this, [support me with a coffee!](https://ko-fi.com/wetcakes)


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